What do you get when you take your car to the mechanic?

An afternoon chat with Grandma.

Tyler's uncle is our trusty mechanic who happens to do his repairs at Grandma's house. This time we needed our rear brake pads replaced. So while he worked Grandma and I talked.

She told me how her testimony was strengthened. She had always known the gospel was right and true growing up, "But you know how everyone needs to find out for themselves at some point." She had just been called into the young women program and was on a hike during girls camp when they went on ahead and she sat down on a rock and said a short prayer asking Heavenly Father to strengthen her testimony, to make it stronger.

Her thoughts immediately after that were that she needed to study more, especially the scriptures. She recounted to me how that one thought has made a huge difference in her life and how her testimony grew to become her own, not something she leaned on others for anymore.

[T]he moment you begin a serious study of the [scriptures], [y]ou will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the straight and narrow path. The scriptures are called "the words of life" (see D&C 84:85). . . . When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.

--Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1986

Telephone hymn

Otherwise know as "Where Can I Turn for Peace?", one of my favorites.

My sister in law mentioned this hymn in a blog post and it brought back a memory from our days in downtown Salt Lake (seems like I'm remembering that place a lot lately).

Our LDS bishop was Bishop Meredith, husband to Jolene Meredith, composer of the song "Where Can I Turn for Peace?"

For Relief Society one Sunday she told of her experience in co writing that song with Emma Lou Thayne. Sometime in the '70s, she and Emma were asked to compose a song for the general board meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One day Emma called her to discuss the assignment and Jolene happened to be in her music room by her piano. Emma said a few lines of how the song should go and Jolene plucked it out on the piano.

This is how a very rough version of that song was first written . . . over the telephone.

Superman's Mom

I came across this painting by Liz Lemon Swindle and loved it.

 It reminded me of my three boys and how much they need their mom,

especially this little guy right now.

Over the past two days Alex has grown up a lot.

First, he lost his binky, his one and only binky (that disgustingly enough Nathan used), right at bedtime.

We searched high and low and could not find it.

Much to my dismay it was time to take it away and I settled in for a long night.

He cried an hour the first night, twenty minutes at nap time,

five minutes the second night, and a few minutes at nap time today.

He's gone two days without it.

Second, he got an official haircut.

That definitely turned him into a little boy.

Third, I sat him at the computer and let him play his first computer game.

I loved listening to him squeal in delight.

Fourth, he actually tried mimicking words. We asked him to say Alex and he tried.

Fifth, he got to sit in a booster seat at Arby's instead of the high chair.

Sixth, he sat through an entire reading of Cows Can't Fly, his favorite book, without trying to turn the pages or bustling off to some other activity after two pages.

 Even big boys need their mom once in awhile, especially on this particular day by the looks of it.

Superman's Mom

Last week I fought a dragon strong

Then climbed a castle wall.

Too bad I fell from off the roof

Mom´s flowers broke my fall.

Then yesterday, I sailed to sea

The pirates at the door.

Too bad the tub was just too small

To keep the ocean off the floor.

Today, I launched a rocket to

The moon for mom to see.

Too bad the wheel came flying off

And so I skinned my knee.

But mom was there to pick me up

And make me feel alright.

Then send me out to save the world

And put my cape on tight.

Someday I´ll grow and fly away

Little doesn´t last for long.

But when I´m big I won´t forget

Even Superman Needs a Mom.

Everything pumpkin

Kiersten is wondering what's gotten into me. Tonight I made pumpkin pancakes for dinner. Pumpkin has definitely been a recurring theme in my fall baking. And I'm not even a huge pumpkin fan. But in a week all that pumpkin is going to get waylaid by peppermint and chocolate.

So far I've made

• pumpkin bread
• pumpkin cookies
• pumpkin muffins
• a pumpkin dessert
• pumpkin pancakes

And I'm sure there's a pumpkin pie in the near future for Thanksgiving.

I have to say the muffins were so simple and the pancakes were scrumptious. 

Pumpkin Muffins

1 box spice cake mix

15 oz. pumpkin

1 c. chocolate chips

Combine everything and fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. 
 
Pumpkin Pancakes
2 c. flour
3 T. brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. all spice
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 c. pumpkin
2 eggs
2 T. oil

Combine dry ingredients and mix. Add buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, and oil until combined. Lightly butter griddle and brown on both sides. Serve with butter, maple syrup, and/or nuts.

*I added mini chocolate chips as they were cooking. I also ate mine with whipped cream, slivered almonds, and a drizzle of a maple cream sauce that was so GOOD!

Maple Cream Sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp light corn syrup

Combine all ingredients in a heavy sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and reduced by about 1/3 (about 15 minutes). Chill.

New calling

I haven't even lived in this ward a year and I'm on my third calling since March.

Yesterday I was released from Wolf scout leader and Primary teacher and called as the Primary chorister, and I'm a little excited about it. Crazy because I know what goes into being the chorister every week. You have to be on your toes every minute. But another crazy thing is our Primary program is this Sunday. The previous chorister has kindly said she will lead the songs for the program. I felt like I would have been stealing her thunder since she has taught them all year and she thought she'd be stepping on my toes since it is my calling now. I'm afraid I don't know the songs well enough and could see disaster waiting to happen.

Someone has told me that the chorister is the gospel doctrine teacher of Primary. And you know what, I think they are right. No one remembers the sharing times that were given but you certainly do remember the songs that were taught and sung. Music is a powerful medium.

Oh, I've got some fun things planned for December.

Got invited to a fancy shmancy dinner

Remember those Young Men/Young Women etiquette dinners? Remember how you were supposed to learn which fork to use first, whose cup was whose, and what to do if you didn't want the wine? Well Tyler and I were invited by a good friend who is the treasurer to attend one of those dinners for the Catholic Community Services where they honor those individuals who help provide for those in need across Utah. The CCS Humanitarian Awards were hosted at the Little America hotel where individual dinners were priced at $150. I wish I had a brought a camera to get a photo of the entire table spread. I think I counted 4 different cups . . . wine, water, juice, coffee. I imagined setting this type of table at home and then imagined all the spills and chaos of who took who's fork. Ya, not going to happen at my house.

We were seated among celebrities. I call them celebrities because they're people you recognize on TV and think you'll never see in person. Carole Mikita was the emcee. Nadine Wimmer was there. We saw Scott Layden of the Utah Jazz (Tyler thought he was taller in person) and President M. Russell Ballard and Bishop H. David Burton of the LDS Church. Tyler tells me President Jeffrey R. Holland was also present. Jon Huntsman was absent but his Karen wife accepted their award. Reverend John C. Wester and Pamela Atkinson of the Catholic Church were on the program.

The people, the food, the setting all made me wish I had paid better attention during those etiquette meals. Right from the start I broke a rule and began eating before our host had begun. Immediately after my first bite Carole Mikita announced we would have a prayer and then commence eating. Oops!!

The food was delicious and the company was great. And it brought back a memory of a time when Tyler and I were living in downtown Salt Lake. Our ward was asked to bring in a meal to a church and help serve the homeless. We weren't asked to drop off a meal but we were to sit and eat with these people who had no home for whatever reason. I remember eating with a lady and her 2 small children. I don't remember their circumstances but I recall feeling bad for them and their situation. Sitting at dinner last night made me think that it was probably the Catholic Community Services that solicited those meals. I love how both the LDS and Catholic faiths work together to help alleviate suffering and try to bring a some happiness into the lives of people who don't have a lot to hope for.

Some of those honorees last night have devoted their entire lives to helping others. Granted they are Catholic Sisters who aren't raising children going in a million directions, but I have been blessed with so much and know I can step up my game where it comes to giving of myself a little more.

"We make a living by what we get,

but we make a life by what we give."

-- Sir Winston Churchill

Playing dress up

Kiersten and her friends
They decided to raid the Halloween box one afternoon.

A ward Halloween party
I should have gotten a picture of myself since I NEVER dress up. Not that I did this year either, but it was a costume I had been waiting years to use after seeing my neighbor in Magna use it. I wrote numbers 1 through 35 on dot stickers and stuck them all over myself. No one knew what I was until they asked, and then I told them I was someone they could "count on." Ha, ha. Pretty clever.

Rhodes Bake 'N Serve luncheon and trick-or-treating
Aunt Katie invited us to Rhodes bread where she works in the human resource department. She works for an amazing company. Not only does she have a nice gym with personal trainers and a nutritionist, but a lot of offices either had bike racks with bikes in them or bars in their doorways to do pull ups or a treadmill work station where you can work on the computer as you walk or run. I guess for a food company they're doing their best to keep their employees fit. Their Halloween tradition is to invite all the family members to the building where the kids can trick-or-treat at all the offices (after we were done I saw no point to going out that evening) and then the fed us a most delicious lunch.

Halloween evening
Kiersten = She settled for little red riding hood and obviously didn't put much thought into her costume. I think next year is a party year and no trick-or-treating.
Erik = I can't even begin to describe what he might be. A crazy "flour"?
Nathan = I was happy he decided to be the pirate this year instead of Indiana Jones like he is every year. Notice I said the pirate instead of a pirate. It is definitely one of those revolving costumes that gets handed down through all the kids. In fact I made that cape when I was in college and my roommates and I crashed USU's Halloween Howl as the Five Musketeers.
Ashlyn = A Hawaiian bunny? You'll have to take a look at the pictures above because I apparently forgot to get a picture of her. Too many people going too many directions that night.

Alex = Just a cute little pumpkin. He wouldn't keep that hat on for anything and he wasn't too sure about the candy that was being thrown his way. Next year little buddy.